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Walter Scott shooting: former South Carolina officer faces federal charges | |
(35 minutes later) | |
Michael Slager, the former North Charleston police officer who fatally shot Walter Scott, an unarmed African American man, in South Carolina, has been indicted on federal charges by a grand jury. | Michael Slager, the former North Charleston police officer who fatally shot Walter Scott, an unarmed African American man, in South Carolina, has been indicted on federal charges by a grand jury. |
The white 34-year-old, who joined the North Charleston police department in 2010, already faces a state murder charge, but the federal indictment, a rarity in officer-involved deaths, provides authorities with another avenue of achieving a conviction. | |
The three federal charges, first reported by the Post and Courier after court documents were unsealed on Wednesday morning, include a charge tied to the deprivation of civil rights under the colour of law, a federal statute which prevents “the deprivation of any rights, privileges or immunities secured or protected by the constitution or laws of the United States”. | |
Slager is also charged with using a firearm in a violent crime and obstruction of justice, with the indictment stating he “knowingly misled” investigators examining the shooting. | Slager is also charged with using a firearm in a violent crime and obstruction of justice, with the indictment stating he “knowingly misled” investigators examining the shooting. |
Scott, 50, was shot five times from behind in April 2015, after Slager had pulled him over for having a broken tail light. The shooting was captured on cellphone video by an eyewitness, Feidin Santana, and shows Scott was running away at the time he was shot. | |
Slager is expected to be arrested again on a federal warrant, the Post and Courier reported, and will be arraigned in court on Wednesday afternoon. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a potential $250,000 fine, the justice department said in a statement. | |
The former officer is currently out on bail and under house arrest. | The former officer is currently out on bail and under house arrest. |